Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Mining Some Details From Old Documents

In discussing the marriage, the other day, of the daughter
of August C. Cook and his first wife, Catherine Flannigan Cook, there was scant
detail provided in the transcription of the marriage record. However, by some
quirk of internet search capabilities, a digital copy of a county record now
surfaces, providing more information.

At the time the marriage license was applied for, evidently
the groom in question, William H. Crago, was actually living in Duluth, Minnesota.
Though he had been a resident of the same Upper Peninsula town as his bride for
many years, it seems his career has opened up new possibilities in Minnesota’s Saint
Louis County
region. The Return of Marriages in the County of Macomb in Michigan,
the place where the wedding was to take place, shows a young Mr. Crago listed
as a mining engineer. And indeed, that is what he will continue to do in the Duluth area and elsewhere,
according to newspaper reports as late 1947.

But for now, the year of his marriage to Catherine J. Cook, he
is a twenty-eight year old man living in Duluth,
Minnesota, who has courted a
young lady from his former home town. She, likewise, has moved away from home.
Though twenty-five year old Catherine is not listed as claiming any career—the usual
“at home” designation fills the spot for “occupation”—she is now living in Mount Clemens, a town in the Michigan
county of Macomb. I’ve puzzled over why she is in Mount Clemens to no
avail—perhaps her small inheritance from her uncle in Chicago bestowed her with a measure of independence to settle in such a tony locale—and at this point I just accept it at face value. She will not be remaining
here for long.

The wedding takes place at Saint Peter’s Church in Mount Clemens. Witnesses
to the ceremony are Thomas Rowan of Yonkers, New York, and Margaret Dillon of Iron Mountain, Michigan.
While the Iron Mountain designation shows a maid of honor from bride Catherine’s
former home, the name doesn’t match any of Catherine’s relatives—unless there
are cousins whom I’ve yet to discover. The name of the best man likewise seems
a mystery at this point.

It will take more work to find the trail from this wedding
celebration in Mount Clemens, to the Crago home
in Duluth, Minnesota,
and eventually to the same town in Colorado
where Catherine’s cousin Clement Flannigan finally settled—Colorado Springs.

Jacqui--These last several posts are exemplar in demonstrating the research and thought you've put into your search. The death of children, as you described earlier, was so common and so sad, it's a wonder our ancestors stayed sane. I find lots of religious overtones in many of my relatives' letters as the way they made sense out of the senseless. Thanks for sharing. -- And I'll consider that bubble above Sam's head in the weird photo! Yes, he seems puzzled by why he's asked to sit through this whole process! Thanks for dropping by.

About Me

It is my contention that, after a lifetime, one of the greatest needs people have is to be remembered. They want to know: have I made a difference?
I write because I can't keep for myself the gifts others have entrusted to me. Through what I've already been given--though not forgetting those to whom I must pass this along--from family I receive my heritage; through family I leave a legacy. With family I weave a tapestry. These are my strands.